SHARKSPAGE

WorSharks get Moore in overtime, beat Providence 3-2 before sellout crowd

The Worcester Sharks were looking for some payback after losing Friday night to the Providence Bruins on the road, and in front of an overflow crowd of 8,840 at the DCU Center in Worcester, Massachusetts got the revenge they were looking for when Mike Moore tipped a puck home to give them a 3-2 overtime win over the Baby-Bs.

During Friday’s loss Providence had the last change and did everything they could to avoid the WorSharks tough guys and instead threw their weight around against players not so physical. On Saturday the WorSharks had the last change, and used it to their advantage right away in starting their 4th line. With Worcester being able to match up lines it kept the P-Bruins from being able to take runs at the WorSharks top line. It opened the ice a little and the clubs played huge stretches playing wide open end to end hockey, at one point going over eight minutes without any whistles.

It took almost the entire period for one of the Baby-Bs to step up and do battle with a member of the self-nicknamed “Goon Squad”, but when Lane MacDermid decided to drop the gloves with Jimmy Bonneau he found the WorSharks enforcer a little tougher than Taylor Doherty, the player he fought on Friday after boarding Nathan Moon. Bonneau had little trouble with MacDermid early in the fight and busted his opponent wide open. MacDermid came back a little in the end and landed one good shot, but Bonneau was the easy winner in the battle.

Just when it looked like the clubs would end the first period scoreless newcomer Chad Costello, signed to a PTO Friday and playing his first game for the WorSharks, led his new team into the zone down the right wing side and found Sean Sullivan streaking into the zone down the left. His hard pass hit Sullivan in stride, and the defenseman continued the puck forward with a nice pass to Jack Combs in the slot. Combs was fighting off a defender and the puck hit his skate and deflected past Providence netminder Michael Hutchinson to light the lamp at 19:18.

Providence came out of the gate in the middle stanza on fire and took it to the WorSharks trying to get the equalizer, and after hemming Worcester in their own zone Bobby Robbins was able to beat Worcester goaltender Antero Niittymaki to the blocker side. The shot rang off the iron but bounded right back into Niittymaki and then into the net at 4:27 to knot the game 1-1.

The Baby-Bs would grab a lead on a power play goal that was one of several that Niittymaki should have stopped over the weekend. David Warsofsky took a Cater Camper feed and intentionally fired it wide of the WorSharks net. Josh Hennessy grabbed the loose puck and wheeled around the back of the net to the far post and shot one over Niittymaki, who inexplicably tried to slide over to the far post along the ice and left the upper half unguarded in the slow developing play.

Marek Viedensky would draw the WorSharks back to even on a great individual rush up ice after taking a feed from Brandon Mashinter. Viedensky broke down the left wing side but was being angled off by the defense and couldn’t get to the front of the net. He did the next best thing while he was heading past the net and reached toward the front of the goal and slid the puck past Hutchinson at 15:50.

Both clubs would have great chances to grab the lead in the third period. P-Bruins center Jamie Arniel had a golden opportunity early on when he broke in alone, but he misfired on goal and missed a huge opening on Niittymaki’s stick side. Mike Connolly would also have a huge portion of an open net in front of him a little later in the period but he couldn’t pull his stick free from a check and the puck bounced away without an attempt.

The WorSharks would get two power play chances late in the period but couldn’t convert on either of them, and then got a little lucky when Robins came flying out of the penalty box to lead a scoring chance only to see his shot ring off the crossbar behind Niittymaki. As time was winding down Worcester almost jammed home a game winner but Hutchinson was just able to cover the puck to keep it out of the net.

Overtime began at even strength, but just 42 seconds into the extra session referee Chris Brown called a very suspect high sticking call on Costello after he and a Providence player collided at center ice. The WorSharks did a good job limiting the P-bruins chances, and turned the tables when Connolly broke in all alone on Hutchinson. The goaltender made the save but in the ensuing play Connolly was boarded by Warsofsky, leading to a some rare three on three play.

Providence had the best of that play early, and the only thing that kept the WorSharks in the game was a great play by Sena Acolatse to keep the puck out of the net after Niittymaki was down and out. Mike Moore would grab the game winner on a play that looked a lot like the WorSharks first goal. Viedensky brought the puck into the P-Bruins zone and found Sullivan along the left side. Sullivan’s sent the puck along toward the net where Moore got a piece of it to deflect it under Hutchinson to light the lamp just as Costello was stepping out of the box at 2:45 of overtime.

GAME NOTES
Worcester’s injury list got a little lighter with Curt Gogol making his return. The list is now down to three players, Cam MacIntyre, Ben Guite, and Tony Lucia. Brian O’Hanley, Tyson Sexsmith, and Alex Bourret were healthy scratches, although that will be all for Bourret as he was released from his PTO. The Worcester Shuttle had not arrived to drop off Frazer McLaren, who cleared waivers Saturday and was assigned to the WorSharks, but when it arrives it will be picking up Antero Niittymaki as his conditioning stint with the WorSharks is over and he will need to be recalled to San Jose. Harri Sateri was the back-up goaltender

The 8,840 in attendance was the 2nd largest crowd at the DCU Center to see the WorSharks play. The largest crowd ever was 9,803 exactly one year ago today against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers on Salute to the IceCats night. Had it not been for the snowfall that held down walk-up sales Director of Ticket Sales Jason Jones thinks they could have made a good run at that record.

The three stars of the game were
1. WOR – Moore (OT gwg)
2. WOR – Viedensky (g,a)
3. PRO – Hennessy (g)

The Sharkspage player of the game was Sean Sullivan.

Even strength lines
Combs/Connolly/Costello
Mashinter/Viedensky/Reid
Gogol/Del Monte/Livingston
Bonneau/Moon/Pelech

Moore/Sullivan
Irwin/Acolatse
Petrecki/Doherty

BOXSCORE

Providence 0 2 0 0 – 2
Worcester 1 1 0 1 – 3

1st Period-1, Worcester, Combs 7 (Sullivan, Costello), 19:18. Penalties-Caron Pro (tripping), 1:01; Pelech Wor (cross-checking), 8:48; MacDermid Pro (fighting), 18:04; Bonneau Wor (fighting), 18:04.

2nd Period-2, Providence, Robins 2 (Whitfield, MacDermid), 4:27. 3, Providence, Hennessy 13 (Warsofsky, Camper), 11:38 (PP). 4, Worcester, Viedensky 4 (Mashinter), 15:50. Penalties-Doherty Wor (high-sticking), 11:23.

3rd Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Whitfield Pro (high-sticking), 3:20; Robins Pro (high-sticking), 17:32.

OT Period-5, Worcester, Moore 2 (Sullivan, Viedensky), 2:45 (PP). Penalties-Costello Wor (high-sticking), 0:42; Warsofsky Pro (boarding), 1:21.

Shots on Goal-Providence 11-6-9-2-28. Worcester 10-10-14-4-38.
Power Play Opportunities-Providence 1 / 3; Worcester 1 / 4.
Goalies-Providence, Hutchinson 3-8-0 (38 shots-35 saves). Worcester, Niittymaki 2-3-0 (28 shots-26 saves).
A-8,840
Referees-Chris Brown (86).
Linesmen-Scott Whittemore (96), Brian MacDonald (72).

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